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word of the day

The word for today is…

batten (verb, noun, verb):

verb
1a : to grow fat
b : to feed gluttonously
2 : to grow prosperous especially at the expense of another —usually used with on

noun
1a British : a piece of lumber used especially for flooring
b : a thin narrow strip of lumber used especially to seal or reinforce a joint
2 : a strip, bar, or support resembling or used similarly to a batten (as in a sail)

verb
1 : to furnish with battens
2 : to fasten with or as if with battens —often used with down

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : The origin of today’s word’ first meaning is believed to be the Old Norse verb batna, meaning “to improve.” Batna is akin to Old Norse betr and Old English betera, from which we get the modern English word better. Batten entered the English language in the 1500s, with the meaning “to improve,” and was especially used in the sense of improving or thriving by feeding. It is not related to the verb batten found in expressions such as “batten down the hatches.” This latter batten comes from the noun batten, which denotes, among other things, an iron bar used to secure the covering of a hatchway on a ship. This batten has Latinate rather than Germanic origins and can be traced back through Anglo-French batre to the Latin verb battuere (“to beat”).

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